Casting target



L. I. F'INCK'E CASTING TARGET Sept. 13, 1949.

Filed Dec. 29, 1945 Patented Sept. 13, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GASTIN G TARGET Leo I. Fincke, Chicago, Ill-, assignor .of one-half to William R. Hodgkinson, Chicago, .111.

Application December 29, 1945, Serial No. 638,019

4 Claims. 1

Casting for fish is recognized as an enjoyable sport and casting tournaments are organized to test the skill of the casters. However, tournaments usually merely provide a fixed target and do not closely simulate real casting. The present invention is intended to provide a casting game whereby a fish or similar object is provided with a ring to be engaged by the hook and releasably mounted so that when it is caught, it will swing up with the hook and line in a manner similar to catching a live fish.

The objects of this invention are to provide a novel casting game suitable for either indoor or outdoor uses; to provide a game simulating the art of casting for fish; to provide a casting game which may be made in large sizes for use with fishermens regular casting tackle, or in smaller sizes as a table game; and to provide such other novel features and advantages as will be described more fully hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the method of operation;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the mounting of the fish;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the support and fish or object to be caught;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing the weighted tail; and

Fig. 5 shows the casting rod with hook and line.

As shown in the drawings, I provide a base 6 which may be made of any desired size and of any suitable material. Two upright posts I are detachably secured to the base and support a cross rod 8. This rod preferably has reduced ends 9 that engage with holes I0 in the posts so that the several parts may be readily detached or knocked down for shipment. The object I I] which is to be caught may be made in any suitable shape, but preferably simulates a fish as shown, and has an elongated recess II in the lower side for engagement with the bar 8. The point of support is such that when the fish is mounted on the bar, the lower portion H of the tail will rest upon the board 6 and hold the fish at any desired angle or substantially as shown in Fig. 2. The tail may be provided with a weight I3 of lead or the like which will further tend to swing it downwardly to normal position. The bar may be provided with discs or annular projections M which will tend to hold the fish in central position thereon.

A ring I5 is rigidly secured to the upper end of the object or head of the fish so that it lies in a plane transverse to the vertical plane of the fish.

2. This arrangement is such that when the fish is supported in normal position on the bar, the ring will project up at a desired angle to be engaged by the hook.

A casting rod I6 with line H and hook I8 is used for catching the fish. This is done by throwing the hook over and forwardly in the usual manner and trying to cause it to engage with the ring Id. The hook I8 may be of the gang type shown or a single hook, as preferred. When the hook engages with the ring, and the rod is raised in the usual manner, it will cause the fish to be disengaged from the bar and swung upwardly, thereby simulating the catching of a live fish.

A plurality of fish or target objects may be mounted on one cross bar, or a number of different sets of target devices such as shown may be arranged adjacent to each other and different values given to the different fish. This will add to the enjoyment of the game which may be provided with rules fixing the objects to be obtained as the catching of the most fish or catching fish having the greatest values given thereto, or the like.

For indoor or table use, I have found that the board or support 6 may be about 10 inches wide and 15 inches long, and the fish about 6 inches long with a 2 /2 inch ring will provide a satisfactory embodiment of the target portion of the invention. The hooks and lines may be made of miniature size in proportion to the other features.

For outdoor use, the target portion of the apparatus may be made of any suitable size depending upon the distance to be cast and other features.

In apparatus which I have made, the parts are largely made of wood but any suitable material may be utilized for making the different parts.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention, modifications may be made without departing from the scope thereof, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to any particular construction except as set forth in the following claims in which I claim:

1. A casting game consisting of a substantially horizontal rod, means for supporting the rod in an elevated position, a relatively fiat image simulating a fish, or the like, having an angularly positioned slot in the lower portion for engagement with said rod, means for yieldingly supporting the image in a predetermined position, and a large ring fixed to one end of the image and lying in a plane substantially transverse to the plane of the image and at an angle to the horizon when the image is in normal position, said ring being adapted to be engaged by a hook cast with a casting rod and line.

2. In a casting game, the combination of a base, posts extending upwardly from said base, a horizontal bar carried by said posts, a fiat elongated body simulating a fish having an elongated recess in the lower portion thereof extending toward the rear end and adapted to be engaged by said bar for releasably supporting the body, the point of support being arranged so that the rear end of the body will normally rest upon the base with the front end in elevated position, a relatively large ring fixed to the front end of the body and lying in a plane substantially transverse to the plane of the body, adapted to be engaged by the hook of a casting tackle, substantially'as described. I 4

3. A game of skill including a base, posts extending upwardly from the base, a horizontal rod carried by said posts, an image simulating a fish or the like, having a rearwardly extending slot in the lower portion thereof for engagement with said rod to releasably support the image thereon, a weight in the tail portion of the image adapted to cause it to engage with the base when in normal-position with the head in elevated position, a ring of approximately two and one-half inches in diameter secured to the head portion adapted to be engaged by a hook of a fishing tackle when cast toward the same.

4. Apparatus for use in a casting game consisting of a board, posts detachably mounted in said board, a cross bar detachably secured to said posts, a plurality of game pieces simulating fish releasably mounted on said bar, weights in the tails of the fish to hold them in depressed positions with the head portions raised, and rings of approximately two and one-half inches in diameter secured to the head portions and lying in planes at an angle to the horizontal whereby they may be engaged by hooks cast with a suitable casting apparatus, said fish being designated with difierent values for use in scoring in the game.

LEO I. FINCKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

- UNITED STATES PATENTS 

